St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-11-16
Public Papers Inaccessible For
Lack Of Space.
Special TO the Globe.

Special to the Globe.
WASHINGTON. Nov. 15.-One of the
most sensible recommendations ever
made by any committee is that which
results from the Investigations of the
COckrell committee into the workings of
the executive departments. Senator
COckrell is a wise, conservative and
able man. He has spent the long vaca-
ton hard at work in the Offices, taking
personal interest as well as critical
survey and inquiry into the actual
methods of doing business. Probably
no other legislator has acquired such a
practical knowledge of the manner in
which the work is done by the civil ser
wants. His conclusion that additional
public buildings should be erected is
sound. Every department is crowded
for room, and private buildings are con-
stantly being rented. at an enormous
annual outlay, for the accommodation
of the clerks in the various bureaus.
The interior department is an immense
structure: probably the best specimen
of architecture in this city. Yet. large
as it is, it is no larger than could be
used by the patent office alone. The
pension Office. fortunately. has build
ing for its own work. but it rented a
fire-trap for many years. The Office or
the sixth auditor of the treasury occu-
pies rented quarters Oh Eighth street.
another rented building on Z street,
which was for many years
4 DANCE HALL.
1t is also partly located in the post
Office department building, where the
auditor has his personal quarters. The
poStoffice department is not half large
enough for the accommodation of its
own force. 1t lacks file room. Every
year or two valuable department papers
are taken into the basement, left there
with 10 possible arrangement being
made for their accessibility again and
ultimately burned. For example: The
papers upon which was based the eS-
Establishment Of a p0StOffice at st. Paul
can never be found. They would be of
great archaeological value. The papers
upon which were based the allowances
for pOStmaSterS' salary, rent, fuel, clerk
hire and other expenses, even up to five
years ago. could not be found even II
they were in existence. The orders for
star service and the reasons for the eX-
penditure of money for the same from
St. Cloud to Alexandria and Fergus
Falls ten years ago, when the railroad
ran no further than st. Cloud, ncOuld
IcAtI DC lOullOl. dllu liiCA Dib 'dDiy UO
not exist. The papers upon which were
based the contracts to the Burbank
Stage company for carrying the mails
twelve or fifteen years ago are probably
destroyed long since, If not, they are
packed away in confused mass. These
are merely examples. The same OBJ
tainS all over the country. The historian
of the pOStOffice department can never
write accurately concerning anything,
because there are
THE PAPERS ON FILE.
Maybe they are YalueleSS: maybe not.
The papers IN the case of the robbery of
the post office at Minneapolis will be in
accessible. if not destroyed inside of a
year. Even now, it would be difficult
to find them. The department of JUS
tice is located in the old Freedmen'S
Bank building; miserable rattle-trap
concern, not half large enough for the
growing department. The state, war
and navy departments are in a new
building and are fairly well provided
for at present. The treasury depart
ment needs several anneXeS, which
should be built on the square now Oc
cupied by Riggs bank and the Freed
mems Bank building. The square be-
tween Eighth, Ninth, L and I streets
ought to be covered with a building
exactly the counterpart Of the present
postOffice department building. The
new edifice should join the present as
part of the whole. Then, perhaps for
ten years to come. the pOstotfice depart
ment would be properly Accommodated.
If Senator COckreil shall succeed in
getting the facts through the numb
skulls of the alleged refOrmers and con-
gressional tyrOS, he will have done
great work for his country: work
which can only be appreciated by those
who practically understand the present
condition of affairs. During the sum-
mer Senator COckrell has sat down be-
side the clerks and learned from them
all about the condition of their work.
He is to-day the best posted man in
congress concerning the needs. the ac-
tual needs, of the public service in its
executive branch. 1t should not be for
gotten that the offices of the president
should occupy the entire White house
and new residence be erected for the
president.